Girl at the Rock Shows

There’s an air of mystery around Rhone Valley Rogues in more way than one. Not only is this group’s membership confidential, their sound is a bit of a mystery. It’s a hard one to place with a sense of darkness but an almost commercialized pop sensibility behind it that will get their songs stuck in your head instantly. Add the fact that this band hails from Yokohama, Japan and you are left with more questions than answers. After hearing their new single “Delinquent Flair”, I knew I wanted to know all I could about this group so I jumped on the opportunity to ask “Robin” (that’s an alias as, again, this is a “secret club” that we can all only dream of being invited into) some questions about everything and anything.

If you could compare yourself to a bird, what bird would it be and why?

Raven or owl would be too obvious. I’d love to go with shoebill stork, but I’m not quite that cool. So, for today, let’s go with the crescent-caped lophorina. As to why – I mean, just look at it!

Everyone says that every crowd is their favorite but, what city has the best audience and why is it Minneapolis?

I’ve never been to Minneapolis, but of course I’d love to perform there. If I had to choose, the top spot would have to go to Ransom Hollow, WA.

What’s your go-to coffee order?

An iced triple espresso latte with an extra shot of espresso, made with half-and-half, with half a pump of wormwood extract before you add the coffee, please.

How would you describe your music to your parents?

Wholesome and non-threatening. Catchy. Has a good beat!

Favorite lyrics of all time?

“If you leave me crushed, I’ll crawl to find you.” from “Deconstructing Gods” by Blaqk Audio. Or all of the lyrics from “Say Red” on the same album.

“You said you’d shoot the stars, but bullets make you blush. Turns out you like to play, play with knives, and I hear that it gives you a rush.” from “We’ve Got The Knife” by AFI.

“Fuck my face, fuck my name – they are brief and false advertisements for a soul I don’t have, something true I have lacked and spent my whole life trying to make up for… but I found in a song and in the people I love. They will lift me up out of darkness.” from “False Advertising” by Bright Eyes.

What is your favorite topping(s) for pizza?

Quattro Formaggi with belladonna and hemlock.

If you were to rob a bank, what would be the song playing in the getaway car as you escape?    

“Demolition Lovers” by My Chemical Romance or “End Transmission” by AFI.

What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to?

This makes three mentions of AFI in one interview, but yea it has to be AFI at Mizner Park Amphitheater in Boca Raton, FL, in 2007. As per usual, I got there early and met up with the rest of my Despair Faction friends so we could grab our spot up front at the barricade. The setlist was phenomenal, the band was in top form, and the barricade almost collapsed. As part of their tour diaries, the band later posted video of security all in a row holding up the barricade like a dam that was about to give way.

If you could have dinner with any musician, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

Jade Puget (that makes four mentions…) or GACKT. That’s a tough choice. They’ve probably had the biggest influence on me as a musician.

Have you ever been able to finish a Rubik’s Cube?

No, but I did once manage to escape the Cube from the 1997 film of the same name.

What’s the worst concert you’ve ever been to and why?

It’d have to be one that I played in a former band of mine, unfortunately. It was a benefit to save the whales. We appreciated the invite, but I’m not entirely sure that the venue was expecting a band. Cause when I went to ask the sound engineer about connecting my keyboard to the soundboard, he just laughed and gave me a karaoke machine to use for vocals. Things went downhill quickly cause we couldn’t really hear one another, so the guitarist just started making whale noises with the feedback on his guitar and pedalboard. Good on him for salvaging a dire situation with humor. Our audience was terrific though – some of them had traveled quite a distance to see us. At the time, I was rather distraught, cause I felt like I’d just given the worst performance of my life. I drank too much tequila and afterwards ended up sneaking into an abandoned hotel nearby that was supposed to be haunted.

What’s your favorite method of listening to music?

I’m partial to CDs. However, I couldn’t bring my whole CD collection over to Japan when I moved, so these days I mostly listen on my phone or computer using headphones.

What should we know about “Delinquent Flair” before listening to it?

The song and artwork pretty much speak for themselves. Though I’d like to call attention to the artist, Malthus Wolf. His work is on Artstation, Deviantart, and so on. I’ve already commissioned additional artwork from him for some upcoming songs.

You call your style many things but one of those is “Cloak and Dagger Rock”. Can you explain what that means?

It’s as much about worldbuilding as it is about writing songs. “Heists and music.”

I’m getting a bit of a dark video game vibe here. If this song were in a video game, what game do you hope it would be?

Ooh, great question. I’d love to choose one of those old-school isometric fantasy RPGs – maybe Tyranny, because you play as the villain. But I could go with the original Baldur’s Gate, Icewind Dale, or Pillars of Eternity even. There’s also an overlooked action-RPG from 1997 called Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny that fits the vibe. Hmm, maybe The Elder Scrolls VI? Hit me up, Todd.

There are so many layers to this track. What came first– the lyrics or the instrumentation?

Thank you. The instrumentation came first. It usually does, though I’m constantly jotting down phrases and rough ideas to turn into lyrics at a later date.

Where were you when you wrote this song?

Yokohama, Japan. I was in the middle of having a video hangout with a friend from the US. I got a sudden spark of inspiration so I asked her to hold on for a few minutes while I wrote the main melody on my keyboard in my room. Then we resumed the hangout. It was very spontaneous. Of course, the rest of the song took much longer to come together, but moments like that are nice.

If you had to assign a color to this song, what color would it be and why?

A deep lush purple or maybe garnet – flames reflected in a glass of wine.

As of now, “Delinquent Flair” is just a standalone single but can we expect more in the near future?

Yes, there are a couple of singles lined up for release in future months. Coming up next is 双黑 (Soukoku) on May 22.

Is there anything else you want everyone to know?!

If you’d like to descend further with us, then please go to our website and head on over to the Cellar Door. The password is two words – all lowercase, no spaces, no numbers. We’ve left a trail of breadcrumbs throughout our songs, artwork, and interviews. We’d love for you to join us.

So what are you waiting for?! Go to Rhone Valley Rogues’ website HERE and follow the breadcrumbs into their mysterious yet oh so amazing world.

Seriously though, Rhone Valley Rogues is my new favorite group. I promise that’s not just because of all of the AFI references in this interview (although that definitely helped) but it’s the creativity that flows so solidly throughout everything this band does from the music they put out to this quirky little interview that they were nice enough to do with me. Regardless of if their music is for you or not (although I’d like to think there’s something in their sound for everyone), Rhone Valley Rogues is worth some love so let’s show it to them!

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